Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC has served as Shadow Home Secretary and Attorney General for England and Wales.
Being Chancellor of the University of Oxford is a great honour for whoever holds the office. There are ceremonial functions to be fulfilled. But there is also the work of the University to be encouraged and its ethos as a place of learning to be sustained. It carries with it responsibilities to support the University and to act, as and when needed, as its advocate and representative. This includes championing academic freedom; being a channel to government over education policy and state funding; and helping the University’s development and fundraising to increase its independence. The Chancellor must also be able, if called upon, to act as the Visitor to five colleges within the University. A Chancellor will have ideas as to how the University might best progress, but it is the Vice-Chancellor and Council who make most of the policy decisions.
My ties to Oxford began with my undergraduate years at Magdalen, which were among the most positive experiences of my life and I am forever grateful for them. In recent times I have been a frequent visitor to the University, taking part in some of its academic activities and, when conducting the review of the governance of Christ Church, spending several days a week in Oxford. That review required me to have a good understanding of the governance issues currently facing the University more generally and to meet with a wide group of its senior members and officers. These contacts have increased my respect and affection both for the University and for its potential for good.
Oxford, along with other universities, is navigating its way through a period of change and opportunity. It faces challenges over its funding support from government and in maintaining and enhancing its place as one of the world’s great centres of learning. Supporting its continuing development as a centre of excellence, embracing diversity in all its forms, and advocating for the University are all roles that would be a great privilege for me to do. I believe that I can put the experience I have gained through my past career to good use on the University’s behalf. As Attorney General I was at the heart of ensuring that the rule of law and ethical standards in government were upheld. I am now independent of any political party and active outside of my profession as a trustee of charities. Some of these, such as the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and the British-Irish Association, which I chair, are about bringing people together to share ideas and experience for the common good. I have time to perform the duties required of the Chancellor and to participate more generally in the life of the University. I am deeply committed to the principles underpinning human rights, equality and the right to freedom of expression under law and with civility, essential to academic freedom in a place of learning, and I would like to make a contribution to the University’s well being and success. This is why I am standing.
